Dina

4.5 stars
(I'll add my thoughts later)

This is the sort of book that's best read if you don't really know a lot about it, so I won't say much.

I'll just say that I enjoyed the way this was written (there were some interesting segments in the story) and that those gory metaphors felt a bit weird in the beginning, but then it only added to the drama of the whole thing and it kinda fit.

Also that there was only one tear shedSpoiler and it was for the dogs. Even if the ending was quite emotional as well, the dogs were the bit that really hit me hard.

3.5 stars

Some sections were reeeeeally interesting, while others, I have to admit, I skimmed a bit because, yeah...

I also expected more notes from Jace, Clary and Simon. Though the ones we get in this, plus the extra pages they seem to leave in the Codex, are great and some even made me laugh out loud.

Now, don't be fooled by the time it took me to read this book, because it's something you can easily read, even when it gets into some of its more dramatic and heavy moments.

The reason it took me almost 2 months to finish it is a combination of me being busy, trying to read some of the books in The Shadowhunter Chronicles, and lastly - and probably the biggest reason why it took me so long to finish it - the fact that I accidentally spoiled myself for something that happened towards the end. Because I already knew how things would turn out in the end, it kinda put me off from reading. There was no longer that anticipation to see how things would sort themselves out.

So, because of that, my opinion of the book certainly does not reflect what it could have been like for me if I hadn't spoiled myself the ending. If you think this might be your thing, don't feel like my 3 star rating is law or anything. As I said, it was heavily influenced by the fact that I was no longer excited to see what would happen next, because I already knew what was going to go down.

That being said, the story is good. Not gonna lie, in the beginning it was very... I don't know how to qualify it. It was like I was reading about Desperate Housewives. You know, the typical neighborhood with little problems and big dark secrets.

Speaking of which, you have a few things happening before the secret is revealed and then it's all about the aftermath. You get to see Cecilia struggle with what to do with the information. Both scenarios are bad, and both end up having an impact on her family, even if in different degrees. Now, while in certain moments of the book you're lead to question every single option along with Cecilia, eventually, at least for me, it gets to a point where the only thing that makes sense is what it eventually turns out to be. Rationally speaking, it seemed to be the only option that would have an impact not only in Cecilia's life and family, but also in some of the other characters in the book, so it'll definitely cross your mind even if you don't immediately get it.

Cecilia's story was interesting mainly because of her husband's secret. Apart from that, her character was just a bit annoying and way too fake for me. Not fake as in she doesn't seem realistic, but more of a realistic representation of that kind of people who have this very get-together persona in front of other people, but is the complete opposite behind closed doors. I have nothing against people like that, mind you, I just don't really like it when their “public” image is so far from the real thing.

Rachel, I mean, I could understand what she was going through, but this woman needed help. It got waaaaaay out of hand. No wonder things happened at the end there. Geez.

Tess was probably the one I could relate to the most. Not that I've ever been through what she went through, but because she reacted in a way I think I would react as well. I don't blame her for things said or done, and I certainly don't think she exaggerated in the way she felt about the whole thing with her husband.

All in all, it was a nice read. Easier to stomach in some bits, not so easier in others. But there were some nice lessons to learn in all of this mess.

Ok, this gets 4.5 stars from me, but I had such a great time reading it that I'm gonna bump it up to 5 for now. It might change once I get to the rest of the trilogy, though. I'm keeping my options open.Let me start off by saying that I enjoyed this more than I did [b:City of Bones 256683 City of Bones (The Mortal Instruments, #1) Cassandra Clare https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1432730315s/256683.jpg 2267189]. I think it's a stronger first book in a series than that one was.The characters all have their own special thing that draws you in. I really enjoyed this batch that Clare cooked up.Jem is the most precious thing ever and I love him to death. And Henry entertains me like no other with his inventions. Tessa is a good main character. I wanted to hug her multiple times throughout the book. I feel for her and what she's going through in all of this. Everyone else is pretty great too, in their own way.I'm also rooting for a certain pairing, because things with them seem one thing, but then everyone else says it's something else, and I just have a mighty need. I'm sure that'll probably make at least some sense if you've read this book. As for romance involving the main female character, it's pretty clear this is gonna become a triangle situation. So far, it's not bothering me too much, but we'll see how that develops in the next two books.Also, the plot is really interesting. I wasn't sure I'd like it, to be quite honest. I'd never read steampunk books before, and because this is set in 1878, I was also afraid it wouldn't click very well with me (I don't usually do well with books set in past centuries; don't ask me why because I can't give you a specific reason). It has some nice twists that made me go “whoa, really?”. And that cliffhanger in the epilogue, I mean...All in all, it was a great and very enjoyable read. And don't be fooled by the time it took me to finish this book. It's a fast read. I just had to put it down multiple times because work kept me really busy. If it were up to me, I'd read the whole thing in like 2 or 3 sittings and be done with it in less than a week.

Man, this book was intense!!

I really enjoyed it. I think it wrapped it all up at the end there, considering this was meant to have been the final book in a trilogy. But there was a bit of a loose thread there that I'm sure Cassandra picked on to continue with her story for three more books.

I loved the whole thing, from the character stories, to the main plot, to the twists that would come along the way... I had a great time reading this book, that's for sure.

I'd say 4.5 stars for me. But since Goodreads doesn't do halves, I'm going with 4, because it still had a few things here and there that kept it from getting 5 stars out of me.

So this one picks up not too long after the events at the end of the first one, so, obviously, I'll end up mentioning things that happened in the first one or consequences of said events. Be warned.The rest of the Lightwood clan is back, and along comes the Inquisitor, Imogen Herondale. She's come to question Jace, because the Clave fears he might be a spy for Valentine.Valentine wants to perform a ritual that will give him enough power to finish what the Circle barely even started all those years back. For that, he needs to kill four young Downworlders, one of each species.There's a bunch of new characters being introduced in this book, but they all play their part in making sure the story moves along, so I'm not mad about that. Some of them I actually enjoyed, like Maia. Maia's cool. She had a bit of a problem with Simon about halfway through the book, but she explained her side of things and I can understand why she reacted the way she did, even if I don't think it was the best way to go about things.There's a lot of struggles in this book. Jace and Clary struggle with their feelings for each other and the fact that they're siblingsSpoiler (I know the outcome of this story line already, but it still made me uncomfortable and made me cringe like hell every time they would kiss. shudders), Alec is struggling with his feelings (both for Jace and Magnus), Simon is struggling with his new-found abilities and restrictions and not really knowing how to talk to his family about them (look at me trying not to spoil the poor souls that still don't know what happens to our poor mundane friend), Imogen is also struggling between doing what's right and getting her revenge, ... There's a lot going on.Jocelyn is still in a coma, but there's hope now. Gotta read the third book to see how that'll go, though.There's another epic battle with Valentine, though, much like in [b:City of Bones 256683 City of Bones (The Mortal Instruments, #1) Cassandra Clare https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1432730315s/256683.jpg 2267189], people die and not a lot changes in the end. Again: let's get to the third book and see if that changes!I have to admit there were tears in my eyes in that last scene with Jace and Maryse. Gosh, guys, these family-like moments and emotions always get to me. My heart!All in all, I really enjoyed this one. There were bits that made me cringe a bit, but that Jace and Maryse scene really stole my heart, so I'm giving this book 4 stars.

It wasn't bad, but it felt very preachy at some points, some of the decisions made were highly questionable, there are still some very teenage-drama moments that make me roll my eyes, and also some unnecessary obstacles to the main romantic pairing. SpoilerThe first test I understood. The second one was more like “why the hell is this important?”. The last one was so obvious omg.

So it wasn't as light and happy as the other two, which kinda ruined it a bit for me. Sure, the things they mention here are important and people should be more aware and care enough to make a real change, but to introduce this kind of heavy subject in an otherwise light story kinda threw me on a loop there.

Hmm. 3.5 stars. Knocking it down to 3, because I just can't give it 4.

It's still the same kinda fluffy thing with the seemingly unnecessary teenage drama, but I guess it kinda works for the target audience.

I did think the whole “plan” involving the new guy in this story was a bit too far-fetched. To think they would go to such great lengths just to make sure the main character would cross paths with him, sounds a bit crazy. But okay, I went with it.

The characters in this are all a bit too hot and cold. They're peaceful and with their feet on solid ground one second, and then the next second they're cooking up a storm over nothing, really. Gives you whiplash.

All in all, much like the first book, it feels like everything ends up wrapped up nicely in the end, even if there are many bumps along the way. Let's now see what the third one has to offer.

This book would have been a great stand-alone, if it wasn't for that Epilogue.

Regardless of that, this is the sort of light, fun read you go for in the spring/summer time. I read it in one sitting. It helps take your mind off heavier stuff.

I enjoyed the mermaid aspect of it. It focuses on the romance quite a bit, yes, and the main character is in a deep pit of denial, but, like I said, it's not the sort of annoying thing you sometimes get with books that target a younger audience, so it ends up being just an enjoyable little thing to help you pass the time.

If you're looking for a light read and you enjoy mermaid stories, but not to the point of getting heavily involved with a fantasy plot, then this will be the book for you. Also, if you're trying to get out of a reading slump, this will probably help you get out of that black hole and move onto new things.

Now onto the second book!

Okay, so this was a re-read for me. It'd set it somewhere between 3.5 and 4 stars.

Let me start by saying that I was in a rush when I read it the first time. I now understand why a lot of it flew past me and I was left confused. Obviously, going into it a second time makes for a more solid experience, because I was basically filling in the blanks from when I first read it all those months back. (and, man, were there a lot of blanks to fill!)

I also came to the conclusion that, much like many other books out there, you need to go into it with an open mind or you'll be tripping all over yourself and your experience will be terrible. That being said, I completely ignored the feelings I was left with after my first read of this book, as well as all the things people have been saying about the writing and the author. They shouldn't be allowed to influence my reading experience, and so I kept all of that out of the door.

By doing that, I was able to actually enjoy the story for what it was. It was entertaining, I loved the characters' sense of humor in this (it was very similar to mine, so I guess I could relate), I took my time learning a bit more about the world – which is something I should have done the first time around as well – and it's actually interesting. It's complex, there are a few things you don't immediately have an answer or explanation to, but most things you kinda pick up on the way, so it's fine.

I also let myself kind of accept these characters for what they are, flaws and all. Not saying Clary didn't get on my nerves at times, because she did (especially when she goes around slapping everyone, like, girl...), but you also see her kind of grow and realize her mistakes and apologizing to those she kinda lashed out on. And I gotta appreciate that. There are many characters in books I've read that didn't so much as admit their mistakes, so I'll take it.

Now, this was one of the few good experiences I had while re-reading a book (it usually doesn't work too well for me, which is why I rarely do it), so I'm happy about that.

And now I shall immerse myself in the rest of the Shadowhunter Chronicles. Pray for me.

Oh, man. There's so much I could say about this book. I'll just say that it's fantastic and clever, it's both dark and funny, it's really well developed (there are so many layers to things, you wouldn't believe!) and the twists...

Admittedly, I don't know much about all sorts of Gods out there, so I'm sure there are little things that probably flew under my radar, but even if you're as uncultured about that as I am, believe me, you'll still be able to enjoy this book.

I give it 4.5 stars.

Oh, man... Fasten your seat belts. Get ready for this one.

I think I'm just gonna start with an overview of things, without going into spoilery territory, and then we'll move on to the spoiler-zone. (That being said, I will mention things that have happened in past books freely, because if you made it this far, then I'll assume you've read those. If not, thread carefully, because there might be things here that'll spoil the first two books.)

So we start after the revelation in the second book, about the truth behind the faction system. Or, well, the facts as they were presented to the people back then. Obviously, such revelation split the group. Now we have people willing to go out into the world, see what's behind the fence, and people who want to stick around and go back to their factions, to sort of fulfill their destiny, if you may. The latter are the Allegiant.

Interesting bit about this book is that we now have Four's POV as well. It changes between the two for most of the book, though there are moments where you get a few chapters in a row from each of the characters' perspective.

Speaking of which, let me just say that, although for the most part I didn't really feel that way, some of Four's chapters didn't really “sound” much like him for me. I don't know why. But it only happened in a couple of chapters near the beginning of the book, and then it kind of settled, I think.

Moving on... The whole explanation about why they needed a faction system seemed interesting, even if it was quite a lot to absorb sometimes.

“This is a lot to process,” says David.
That is an understatement.

Peter and Caleb sit near each other. I didn't know they were friends. It seems fitting, given how despicable they both are.

do

Caleb: You think you'll ever speak to me again?
Christina: If she does, I'll die of shock.

I should have known, then, he was a liar, with loyalty only to himself.

His eyes plead with me for understanding, but I do not understand. I won't.

let him explain this

Tris: Let me put it this way: I just found out you're not the worst person I know.

this

had a moment

“Remember what happened last time you didn't trust my ‘snap judgments'?” Tris says coldly. “You found out that I was right. I was right about Edith Prior's video changing everything, and I was right about Evelyn, and I'm right about this.”

“Yeah. You're always right,” I say. “Were you right about running into dangerous situations without weapons? Were you right about lying to me and going on a death march to Erudite headquarters in the middle of the night? Or about Peter, were you right about him?”

“Don't throw those things in my face.” She points at me, and I feel like I'm a child getting lectured by a parent. “I never said I was perfect, but you—you can't even see past your own desperation. You went along with Evelyn because you were desperate for a parent, and now you're going along with this because you're desperate not to be damaged—”

wasn't

“A lot of people got hurt,” she says. “All because you dismissed what I said.”
(...)
“I respect you more than anyone. But right now I'm wondering what bothers you more, that I made a stupid decision or that I didn't make your decision.”

“What's that supposed to mean?”

“It means,” I say, “that you may have said you just wanted us to be honest with each other, but I think you really wanted me to always agree with you.”

“I can't believe you would say that! You were wrong—”

“Yeah, I was wrong!” I'm shouting now, and I don't know where the anger came from, except that I can feel it swirling around inside me, violent and vicious and the strongest I have felt in days. “I was wrong, I made a huge mistake! My best friend's brother is as good as dead! And now you're acting like a parent, punishing me for it because I didn't do as I was told. Well, you are not my parent, Tris, and you don't get to tell me what to do, what to choose—!”

had

I think they're lucky I'm not going to kill them.

Four: We're acting out of desperation to save something that's important to us – just like the Bureau is. What's the difference?
Tris: The difference is what's right.

Tris: I shot her. I had to. That's the end of it.

Cara: You seem to get involved in a lot of conflict. I suppose we should all be grateful that you are steady in a crisis.

I remember slicing into my palm to add my blood to the coals, my first act of defiance against my father.

For years it was a symbol of my quiet defiance, my small refusal to be an obedient, deferent Abnegation child, and a symbol of my mother's defiance too, even though I believed she was dead. I hid it under my bed, and the day I decided to leave Abnegation, I put it on my desk so my father could see it, see my strength, and hers.

anything

last

I'm looking at my notes and see a lot of “wtf” and “istg” scribbled in there, so this shall be fun...We start where the first one left. That's good. In this kind of story, I don't like it when there's like weird time jumps and characters blacking out and missing half of the most important things (looking at you, [b:Mockingjay 7260188 Mockingjay (The Hunger Games, #3) Suzanne Collins https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1358275419s/7260188.jpg 8812783]).I like that they're also using their brains here and trying to find a way out of this mess without destroying yet another faction. Not that everything will go according to plan (it hardly ever does), but it's good to have one.Also, just a quick side note before I forget to mention it, I get that it was a big moment when Four revealed his real name to Tris in the first book, but it just feels weird to me. It's like they're two people. Always takes me a second to establish the link between Tobias and Four. He'll always be Four to me, sorry!Moving on...Spoiler“They each have an equal role in government; they each feel equally responsible. And it makes them care; it makes them kind. I think that's beautiful.”“I think it's unsustainable.”You had to go and ruin the moment, didn't you, Tris?Let's list some of the things I liked and didn't like in this. There will be some spoilers. I'll try to wrap them all up, but I may end up missing something, so read at your own risk.Let me enumerate some moments where I just loved Four.SpoilerJohanna: If I could give the serum to everyone in this city, I would.Four: Drugging the entire population is the best solution to our problem. Great plan.Johanna: Sarcasm is not kind, Four.Love sassy sarcastic Four.“Sometimes,” he says quietly, “it isn't easy to be with you, Tris.”When I read this, I said “I know, right?” out loud. My mom gave me a funny look. But, really, it's tough!Four: You are a sixteen-year-old girl who doesn't understand that the value of a sacrifice lies in its necessity, not in throwing your life away! And if you do that again, you and I are done.Tris: You're giving me an ultimatum?Four: No, I'm telling you a fact.I loved this moment so much. Tris was really starting to get on my nerves, making stupid drastic decisions. I love that he just wouldn't put up with that. You go, Four! Which, actually, leads me to...Four: Don't be an idiot.Tris: An idiot?Four: You were lying. You said you wouldn't go to Erudite, and you were lying, and going to Erudite would make you an idiot. So don't.Well, spoiler alert, she's an idiot.The bit with everyone basically calling Four a coward, leading him to beating up Marcus was... I mean, the dude deserved it, but the fact that all the other dumbasses pressured Four into doing it and stooping to their level... Not good, buddy.People in this book really love to inject you with stuff, don't they? They have serums for everything! that's just creepy, man.I don't like Peter still being alive after all he's done in book 1, but I'll take it, because it means his wounded pride makes him help them get the hell out of dodge.Which... Spoilerwhat the hell, Tris? This woman is after the Divergent so she can study them and come up with a more powerful serum to control everyone everywhere, and instead of going with the plan to take her down, YOU FREAKING WALK INTO HER LAIR SO SHE CAN TORTURE YOU FOR SCIENCE?? I am so done with you... Four was right, you're an idiot. Everyone agrees.Tris: That would be stupid.Jeanine: True. But in keeping with your ‘act first, think second' behavioral trend.Peter: You did come here of your own free will. That's not what I call a good survival instinct.Need I say more?And then she seems to realize things... way late into the game, as usual:“What if this serum works, and I become a slave to the simulations like everyone else?”You freaking idiot... Was she this bad in the first book? I don't think she was... Damn, girl, what happened to you?Other things I wasn't a fan of include Tris' guilt over Will's death. We get it, you regret it, it was awful that you had to kill one of your best friends, but there's so much going on already, how can you still go so freaking numb and freeze in important moments like that? I get you getting triggered if there's a gun in your hands, but many of the times your mind goes back to that moment, there isn't a lot going on that's directly related to what happened. I don't know, it just got old fast. She seems to have more easily accepted her parents' death than Will's and that seems almost insulting.Speaking of her family, I also don't like how her hate towards Marcus at the end doesn't stem from the fact that he hit her brother in that very moment, but that he beat his kid all those years ago. I mean, she literally says “I don't care that he hurt Caleb”. Whoa. Cold much?And since we're talking about this, she actually took the time to listen to Marcus about this “important information” even though she hates the dude's guts, but she won't listen to her brother's reasons to helping Jeanine and the Erudite? She won't even ask what the big mystery is, since her brother seems to know it? What? Tris, wake up, girl!SpoilerI liked it when she managed to detect all the simulations Jeanine threw at her, though. I loved how she got all happy and stuff and saying she'd finally broken her. Good for you, Tris. You show the bad guys how it's done.I also really enjoyed that moment with Tris and Four Spoilerwhen they were bathing together and being all careful and mindful of each other's injuries, but still wanting to get each other clean and... I don't know, in the midst of all the shit that was going down, it felt nice to have a peaceful and caring moment in there. I'm still not bothered by their romance, btw. I'm cool with them. Even if Tris sometimes gets on my nerves.Now, there were two moments in the book that made me frown like no other.First one:SpoilerWhen Jeanine was sending a message through the people hit with the serum, saying they'd have to give her at least one Divergent or she'd go off making people kill themselves, there were 3 people on the roof, right? Ok. Christina goes and wakes up Tris to go to the roof with her to help out. Now, again, there's three people on the roof, their minds being controlled by a psychopath who only cares about perfecting her serums and whatnot, and then there's Christina and Tris. Why didn't Christina wake up more people to help bring them down from there? Obviously, the two of them wouldn't be able to save all three! That was so messed up.Second one:(I won't put this under a spoiler because I don't think it really spoils that much) But at some point, they have that nifty little thing that makes windows explode. They use it, it actually says that the windows from the floors above and below also exploded (so there's a bunch of ruined windows in that particular section of the building), yet, when they're next to these shattered windows, the following line appears in the book:“I hear tapping against the window and jerk my head to the side.”Uh. I thought there were no more windows? And then she goes on, saying it's just the rain hitting the windows. No, girl, the rain is probably hitting you in the face and echoing in your poor, confused mind.Btw, that ending... Spoiler(spoilers for both this book and [b:The Maze Runner Series 20360301 The Maze Runner Series (Maze Runner) James Dashner https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1400841794s/20360301.jpg 28573149]) It feels a lot like the plot in The Maze Runner trilogy. A bunch of people get their memories erased, are given new names, thrown into this locked up place, they have to find a way to stop some mess that's going on outside those fences/walls (without knowing that's kind of their purpose), divided into groups and all that. The only difference here is that in this book, the higher-ups know what's up. In The Maze Runner trilogy, you'd only be made aware if you got your memories back via a sting from a Griever.Anyway, all in all (and because this is already long enough), Four is still great imo; Tris got a bit on my nerves, but having like 5 different characters pointing her stupidity out to her helped; there were still a few unnecessary deaths (more like avoidable, if people weren't being stupid, I guess); and I'm still curious to see what happens next.So I'm giving this book somewhere between 3,5 and 4 stars, so I'm rounding it up to 4. The story is still good, but the main character seems to have drank a serum for stupidity like halfway through the book and I was just so done with her shenanigans.

Let me start off by saying that I'm glad I went into this on my own and wasn't affected by the hype and all that, because it allowed me to begin this without a preconceived idea of what it was all about.That being said, and because there were no expectations set, I actually enjoyed this way more than I did [b:The Hunger Games 2767052 The Hunger Games (The Hunger Games, #1) Suzanne Collins https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1447303603s/2767052.jpg 2792775], even though they deal with similar topics and are both dystopian trilogies that everyone in this planet seems to have read.Now onto the actual book...Let's start with the plot. I see how they went for different factions based on personalities and kind of build them up from there. Their intentions were good, too. However, as it happens over time, the plan kinda fell through and greediness and thirst for power took over. The problem with making these neat little labelled boxes is that not everyone will fit entirely within only one box. Obviously, that's where the Divergents come from.The story was interesting, overall well explained, and it flowed naturally, I think, but there were a few instances where you could feel the cracks. For example, I'm still not entirely sure why some factions are completely against another. Some are explained in the book (like Condor's view on Amity's ways), but some just feel like they are a thing and we're just supposed to roll with it, without being given an actual reason. I don't know, maybe it was just me.In the beginning, there's also a bit of an info dump. It'll get easier as you go further into the story, because it all starts clicking into place, but as I was reading those first few chapters, I was worried I'd end up missing something important because there was a lot I wasn't really assimilating just yet.Now for the characters, the main character wasn't as annoying as I was expecting. Not that people have been telling me that beforehand, but simply because, when reading a first-person narrative, sometimes you get too well acquainted with the character's thoughts and feelings and it becomes annoying. That's all. That being said, I wasn't too bothered by Beatrice (or Tris, whatever). Sure, she has a couple of moments in the book where I had to stop for a second and go “really?”, but nothing that actually had any sort of negative impact in my overall view of her.There's a bunch of assholes in this book that... deep breath Let's just say that I'm disappointed they didn't get killed off, even though there were a few opportunities there. I'd rather not think too much about those bastards anymore. Moving on...Four is okay too. I get that there's more sides to him. I wasn't surprised by the revelation regarding his character (you can see that coming miiiiiiiiiiiles away), but it still didn't ruin the whole thing for me either.Speaking of which, the romance in this book didn't annoy me either. I have to say that's probably what surprised me the most. Lately I've been getting so sick of romances ruining good stories, but it didn't really get in the way for me this time, for which I'm thankful. SpoilerSure, that cliché of the whole “oh, her voice broke through the influence of the serum” thing made me roll my eyes a little, but that was the extent of it, really.I also like that the book didn't end in a stupidly frustrating cliffhanger, more of a “this is it for now, but there's definitely more to come” kind of ending. I'm pretty satisfied with that.There's a lot more I could say, but 80% of those things involve spoilers and I don't want to have this whole thing filled with spoiler cuts (even though I'm sure a lot of people have read this already), so... We'll just leave it at that.And now I'm gonna go and read the second book.

Seeing as this is the second book in the series, anything I'll comment on in here, even though I'll try not to spoil the book itself, it will definitely spoil you for things that happened in [b:The Eye of Minds 16279856 The Eye of Minds (The Mortality Doctrine, #1) James Dashner https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1358659346s/16279856.jpg 22380916], so don't read this if you haven't read that one yet. Or if you do, do it so responsibly. I can't be to blame if you decide to read this without having read the first book in the trilogy.That being said, let's move on to the actual review of this.Let me start by saying that I love those first moments in the book, where Michael is feeling conflicted and guilty about what happened to Jackson, feeling like he doesn't have the right to walk around in his body. SpoilerMichael: He killed him. I killed him, Sarah. I... stole him. It was dealt with in a very realistic way (or as realistic as you can get with a “Tangent” being “downloaded” into a human brain...). I really enjoyed that. Gives Michael some depth and makes us care for him on another level, because we all know he's not to blame here.However, I have to say that I'm a bit disappointed Dashner didn't explore more the possibility of some emotional transference of some kind. At certain points, Michael feels emotions related to Jackson's life, as if there were some leftover feelings, thoughts and memories. But it doesn't go much further than that and you're left wondering if it was just a result of his guilt for having taken over this young man's body or if it's really there.As for Kaine's plan. I mean, I understand, from his perspective, how he thinks it's a marvelous idea, and how Tangents get to come out in the real world and just be, without being trapped in the VirtNet, I do. It makes sense that he'd think that would be a good thing and that everyone should applaud him for it. But he can't honestly expect that two humans and a Tangent that was tricked into thinking he was a human all along will jump at the chance to help him exchange the human mind for a Tangent one. Either way, someone will always have to get the wrong end of the stick, so... It's not making it better, it's just flipping it around, really.SpoilerThe group hug was definitely a highlight for me. I'm so glad they got to hug it out once the three friends all managed to meet in the real world. <3 I have to say some of the “Trifecta to Dissect-ya” decision-making is messed up. Guys, if you're wanted, you don't just walk around without a care in the world; you work in the shadows. Did no one teach you that? You'd think a bunch of great hackers would know this by now.It doesn't surprise me that Michael was Kaine's first. Okay, wait, that sounded wrong. I mean his first successful Tangent out in the real world, having taken over a human body. He does seem to have some sort of twisted fatherly connection with Michael. That being said, the way the other Tangents would just stop and stare creepily at Michael as if he was a superstar, even if realistic, still felt weird as heck.Let's talk about the constant traps in The Rule of Thoughts. There's like 3 moments in the book where you, as a reader, as well as the characters themselves feel that things are going way too well for them, and that something just doesn't sit right. Do they do anything about it in any of these moments? No. Nor do they seem to learn from past mistakes. Good going, guys. “Seems too easy” -> conclusion: it's a trap. It's as easy as that.SpoilerBryson: This is obviously some kind of trap.Michael: I don't care if it's a trap.Me: rolls eyesThat instinct is completely lost on you. I'm surprised you haven't gotten yourselves killed already.Apparently, all the information (aka every “mind-related” thing) is stored somewhere, both the Tangents and the humans whose bodies Kaine's Tangents are using. I hope they find where that is so they can restore the balance of the universe, instead of doing something stupid, like, say, going after Kaine with every intent to completely erase him without first getting this very important piece of information. See? This is why you don't send revenge-thirsty teenagers after the high-class criminal that's stealing human bodies for his “project”. You can't even trust the adults in this book to make the right decisions...Bryson is still awesome as always. I love his sarcasm and sass. Also love his brutal honesty.SpoilerWeber: All you have to do is close your eyes and endure the... intense sensations you're about to experience.Bryson: You mean the unbearable pain. Pain that's going to make me cry.As well as that bit where he's “sunbathing” under a gray sky and Michael wonders if maybe he spends too much time indoors. That got a loud laugh out of me.After being brought up so many times in this book, I'll be extremely disappointed if the whole situation with Michael's parents and Helga doesn't get any kind of resolution, one way or another, by the end of the trilogy. SpoilerI'm glad Helga is seemingly kicking ass, though, leading an army of Tangents and all that. Loved it! I expect some kind of reunion in the next book.What's with that cryptic dude at the end? When he said it'd take weeks to find out if he was friend or foe and there were like 15 pages left of the book, I just let out a deep sigh and decided to start getting used to the idea that I'll have to read the last book to know what he meant by that. It's just cruel.As for the writing, it flows really well. It is a book for teen audiences, so I guess that fits. Still, there were moments where Michael's thoughts felt like needless white noise. For example, the description of what's going through his mind during Sarah's speech at the VNS. Unnecessary. It doesn't add anything to the story and just feels like it's going on forever. Apart from that, I didn't really have any problem with the writing.The plot twists! I mean, you know that something's not right, but you can't really say what it is exactly. So when you find out, it's just a somersault of emotions, ranging from surprise to anger and frustration.On that note, it's also frustrating that Michael still hasn't learned that he can't really trust anyone in this mission. His friends are okay. I guess you can trust them. Anyone else? Don't go there. Every time you do, things go wrong. I hope he'll be wiser in the next part.All in all, it was a good book, easily read, and quite enjoyable. Can't wait to get my hands on the last one and see how this all wraps up.

Okay. So. The thing about this book is that it was going pretty okay for me in the beginning, but, some 70 pages from the end, it was like the author just started flipping tables and decided to introduce a few different dramas at once. It got cliched, it got lame, it got bad.The story started off okay, with this interesting idea of putting together a Jekel and a Hyde, working on a chemistry project. At first, you're like “yeah, but this is all pretend, this has nothing to do with [b:The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde 51496 The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde Robert Louis Stevenson https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1318116526s/51496.jpg 3164921], apart from this whole intrigue the author is trying to set up because of their names”.However, weird things soon start happening, you learn about this conspiracy and how these characters are really related to that Dr. Jekyll and things start to get reeeeally interesting, with strange bouts of rage and violence, people sort of blacking out, even though they don't really lose their conscience, they just can't remember any of it happening, and lots of creepy moments involving non-suspicious characters. Suffice to say, it was getting good, picking up pace, and I found myself reading faster, eager to see where it was all going.The problem comes when, some 70-80 pages from the end, the author creates relationship drama, the main character gets irrationally angry about something that happened way back, she starts pushing the guy away for stupid reasons out of his control, goes and does stupid things over and over without a realistic reason to do so, obvious things get overlooked... It was a mess.So, having that in mind, I don't really wanna go for 3 stars. I'll give it a 2.5 star rating only because of that interesting bit somewhere in the middle of the story, but everything else fell pretty flat. And let's not even talk about that last 1/4 of the book and unsatisfactory ending.

Okay, here's the thing, I think this had a lot of potential and started off really well, but then got a bit mixed up with the romance in the middle and ruined it a bit for me. I'll explain more later, bear with me.

For now, I'll say this is a solid 3,5 stars. I also think was over-hyped.

I enjoyed the whole Reds vs. Silvers. I think that whole idea is well developed. You get their present animosity and you get some history of things that happened in the past, involving the previous Queen, and all that. So I liked that. That was good and solid.

The character does feel like a bit of a Katniss sometimes, so if you're a fan of Hunger Games, you might enjoy this. (or you might hate it too? Oh well.) I also heard it's similar to other books out there, but I haven't read those, so I can't say.

Now, for the part I wasn't too happy about, I have to say it was the whole love square situation. I despise love triangles, so anything that goes past that is already too much for me.

And that “huge betrayal and plot twist” I keep hearing about? You see that coming miles and miles away. There's a lot of foreshadowing, and when that character opened its mouth for like the second time in the book, I already knew it'd be responsible for the main character's fall in the end.

SpoilerI knew that they were gonna play it up with Maven and then, in order to strike one of the romantic interests off the list, they were gonna make him super evil and be super cold and all that. I was very disappointed. Why is it that one always has to turn evil? Is there seriously no other way of doing it? Come on now... (I was rooting for you, you bastard!)

Now, you can really tell which “ship” will be endgame here, and I'm sorry to say, but I'll never ship them. I kinda saw it in the beginning, but, as the story developed, the guy kinda became less involved and interesting and I'm not at all invested in a relationship between them. As bad as it may sound (it probably sounds awful, if you take it all into consideration), at this point, I'd much rather the main character stick to the “bad guy” in the story than be with this dude. Sorry, but I just don't buy it. shrugs So I guess that's another disappointment I'll have to look forward to in the story.

All in all, if Hunger Games is your thing, or you just really enjoy this whole “uprising of the poor and powerless” thing, this might be the book for you. I enjoyed it well enough and I'm looking forward to the rest of the series, even if there's a few parts of it I'm not particularly excited about.

What? How could you stop there? That was so mean!

Okay, so, I have to say that, at first, I wasn't too sure about this, but some 50 pages in and I started getting really into it.

Sadly, I was unaware that this wasn't a stand-alone, so when I was about 20 pages from the end of the book, I kept thinking “how the hell are they gonna wrap this all up so fast?”. Well, the joke's on me, right? Now I'm left with a cliffhanger and the friend who lent me this doesn't have the second or third books. I hate myself a little bit.

Okay, so the story... this book is about a girl whose parents died and she has to go live with her grandfather, who lives so far out in the middle of nowhere that she can only use her cellphone in a few miles of the road between her grandfather's house and the school in that town. The main character is originally from LA, so you can imagine just how different this new lifestyle is.

I'm not too happy about that love triangle, nor am I happy about the way the main character does things sometimes, or her attitude towards this new life, but it wasn't something that destroyed the whole reading experience for me.

I also think that the whole werewolf was a bit too obvious at times for the rest of the town folk not to know anything about it, like this is such a big secret and no one seems to care that people are getting mauled out there when everyone says “wolves don't really attack people”. Guys... what is wrong with y'all?

Regardless of a few bumps, I actually enjoyed reading this, so I'm giving it a solid 3.5 stars, which I'll have to bump to 4, because Goodreads... it's time you let us use halves! Come on!

Now I'm off to try and find a way to get my hands on the second book. Wish me luck!

It was okay.

It wasn't good, sorry. I can't say it was. I mean... The romantic pairing in this just makes no sense to me. They're so hot and cold and suddenly they're together and I'm just “what?”. No. Just no.

I used to like Meg Cabot's stuff, but lately... I think I probably grew past the appropriate age of her books' target audience.

There were also two instances near the end where I had to put the book down and look at the sky for a moment or two before picking it back up and continuing.

Examples:

Spoiler”‘[...]they were angry that the stone wasn't being used by the person for whom it was intended.'
‘And who is that?' I asked.
John scowled some more. ‘You know perfectly well who. [...] Are you flirting with me?'“

Me: ...what? How was that flirting?!

—

”‘[...] I've never rescued a girl I love from the Furies before.' He looked alarmed as he noticed my eyes were filling with tears. ‘Don't cry.'
‘How can I not?' I asked him. ‘You just said you love me.'“

Me: claws face off I really thought she was crying because he was telling her she'd have to be imprisoned and away from her family, but she's crying because omg he loves her!!!

Needless to say I won't be continuing this series.

I'm gonna give this 3,5 stars, but I'll round it up to 4, because Goodreads still doesn't play well with halves.

What you need to know about this book is that it involves some crazy “magick” and souls are a big deal. There's also some sort of telekinesis going on and kind-of-but-not-actually possession of animals. It is a very complex plot that you need to keep track of or you'll get lost, but it all comes down to a simple basic: there's light, there's dark, they're on opposite sides.

I've seen some not so nice reviews for this book, and I have to say I don't understand why they think it's so bad. This wasn't the best book I've ever read and I do think that sometimes a little simplification of things would work well with such a complicated plot-line, but it wasn't at all bad. I enjoyed it. And, so far, the main character hasn't gotten on my nerves (which happens a lot in books similar to this one). I liked the whole Seeker thing, I think it's an interesting concept. Curious about the Echo part. Hmm.

I'll try to get my hands on the rest of this series and see where this will lead me.

I enjoyed it, even though I can't say it was one of my favorite things in the whole wide world.

I liked the plot, I liked this “Shifter” thing, and I even liked the main character – she didn't get on my nerves at all. So why the 3-star rating? I felt like the bit in the end was a bit rushed, even though I don't really oppose to what went down. I also felt like there was something missing, but I couldn't tell you exactly what that is, seeing as I don't know it myself.

Regardless of all that, it didn't really take long to finish reading this book. It flows easily, it's not really too complex once you got the gist of the Shifter legend, and the plot twists fit well within the story and don't feel like plot devices that serve merely to heighten the drama.

Let me just start by saying that I only heard about this book when I was already finishing the first season of the show. It's not something I usually do (watching the TV/movie version before reading the book it was based on), but, again, I didn't even know it was a thing until I'd already started on the TV show.

That being said, I can't help but picture the actors as these characters (which sometimes gets a bit in the way because of the descriptions).

This is the story of a bunch of people who live in Mapleton, though it focuses in this one family in particular, as they deal - much like the rest of the world - with the disappearance of 2% of the world's population, which includes many of their friends, family, neighbors, or even just that one person they nodded at in the street once.

It is a very peculiar book. The main plot is very interesting from a sociological point of view. We see how messed up it all becomes, with some people being angry, some grieving, some simply confused. Religions are divided in their interpretation of these events, there are many new cults, and some people who just want some peace and quiet to deal with all of this on their own.

I took some time reading it, even though it's not very long, because of all the emotions you go through with these characters. It makes you wonder who you'd act most like in a situation like this. It shows you the good and the bad in a society when something they can't begin to comprehend suddenly happens one day, with no explanation whatsoever.

I really enjoyed it, and it's also interesting to see how some things were changed in the TV show from the book, but how most of it ends up having the same beginning and the same ending, even if they follow different paths in between.

DNF. Read 6/8 stories.

I read the first 6 stories in this, and actually didn't even finish the 6th one, because it wasn't really good at all.

Because I didn't finish it, I don't want to rate it, but if I were to give it a rating based on those stories I read, I'd probably break it down as follows:

Haunted Love by Cynthia Leitich Smith - 2 stars. The insta-love is strong on this one and I'm not a fan. The plot twists were nice, though. Maybe if it was a bit longer, it would have gone better.

Amber Smoke by Kristin Cast - 2,5 stars. Again, the insta-love. I liked the concept, but it all felt a bit rushed to me, to be quite honest.

Dead Man Stalking by Rachel Caine - 4 stars. Okay, so this was the best of the bunch I read. From what I understood, this takes place in an already existing universe by the same author. I might look that up and see if getting really into this is something I want to do. I found the concept interesting, and it wasn't even about romance, which is rare when it comes to these stories.

Table Manners by Tanith Lee - 3 stars. It had an interesting concept, but I felt like you got a bit of an information overload that could leave you very confused if you didn't keep up.

Blue Moon by Richelle Mead - 3 stars. It was okay, I enjoyed it, there wasn't anything particularly bad in it for me, but it wasn't anything too special either, if I'm honest. I'd need to read more of this story to figure out how I really felt about this.

Changed by Nancy Holder - 1 start. I'm sorry, but this short story felt like it was trying too hard, and the good things they tried to implement ended up being undone by some bad decisions this writer made later on. I skipped a few bits because I was rolling my eyes so hard at it I was afraid I'd pass out. I lost count of the times this author used the word “gay”. It didn't need to be made that big of a deal. And the main character got on my nerves because of her constant selfish comments about this whole thing. No. Just no.

All in all, if I were to rate it by those I read, it'd amount to something like 2,6 stars. shrugs Seems fair.

I give it a solid 3.5 stars. It's not enough to round it up to 4 stars, though, so 3 will have to make do.

I admit I was skeptical of the whole troll thing, but it turned out better than I expected. Or maybe I set my expectations very low already because of all my wariness with the troll business. Calling them Trylle instead was a nice touch.

The main character's weakness when around Finn felt a lot like your typical silly teenage romance where you hate him and then you can't live without him, and it kinda got on my nerves a little, not gonna lie.

However, I felt for her when everyone kept yelling that she was screwing everything up, yet when she asked them to educate her on why it was wrong and how she should have done it better, they would all say that she shouldn't worry about it or whatever and it got annoying fast. I kept thinking she should just up and leave, instead of staying there and be treated like an ignorant child. SpoilerI was happy when that's exactly what she did in the end. I mean, you may argue that, taking everything into consideration, it might not be the best move, considering the bad guys are after her and could use her family against her, but, to be honest, if I was constantly being yelled at like she was, I would have done the same thing. Actually, I probably even would have done it sooner.

It was easily read. Not one of the best works I ever read, but definitely something different and original. I might get the second book and see where this is going.